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BarkellWH -> RE: A little tune(Not sure who or where it is from) (Jan. 28 2015 11:35:47)
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quote:
The common ancestor of both Neanderthal and Homo Sapien Sapien was definitely African. Spotaneous interbreeding which leads to successful and fertile offspring is an interesting construction, contradicting as it does the definition of what a species is. But I do note that when convenient some older Paleontologists still use it. Constant trade and contact seem far far more likely rendering the somewhat arbitrarily defined events at the 400,000 and 30,000 year figures as useful but also misleading constructions.
The common ancestor of both Neanderthals and modern humans is thought to have first appeared in Africa about one million years ago. But a branch eventually evolved into the Neanderthals that first appeared in Europe and the Middle East 400,000 years ago. Meanwhile, another branch evolved into modern humans in Africa, migrating out about 60,000 years ago. The 400,000, 60,000, and 30,000 year dates are based on the most recent fossil record. These can change as further discoveries narrow it down.
None of this is settled science, but the most recent research finds that for European, Middle Eastern, and East Asian populations, genes that provide the physical characteristics of skin and hair have a high incidence of Neanderthal DNA — possibly lending toughness and insulation to weather the cold in those regions. Since the Neanderthals lived in such climates, and since (and here it gets interesting) no Neanderthal DNA has been found in modern African populations, the thinking is that there was interbreeding between the two when they met in Europe and the Middle East.
As you point out, this contradicts what we know of interbreeding between species, i.e., species may interbreed and produce offspring, but the offspring are sterile. (Male donkeys and female horses interbreeding and producing sterile mules is an example.) Nevertheless, This may be the exception. Stranger things have occurred.
But I'm going to stick with my hypothesis that modern human males wooing female Neanderthals musically with the gourd and bow gave them an evolutionary advantage over their less adept Neanderthal male relatives, an advantage that led to the eventual extinction of the Neanderthals. I like the idea of music winning out over strength.
Cheers,
Bill
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